Centre for Environmental Rights – Advancing Environmental Rights in South Africa

Palesa Madi

Deputy Director - Programmes

Palesa Madi is the Centre for Environmental Rights’ Deputy Director – Programmes.  As an admitted attorney, Palesa holds an LLM with a dissertation entitled ‘Transformation in the public interest legal sector and transformative constitutionalism’. She is passionate about wellbeing and about using the law to advance social justice.

Prior to joining the CER, she practiced as an attorney at Wits’ Centre for Applied Legal Studies (CALS) where she was subsequently appointed as Deputy Director. Her work focused on the right to protest and promoting the rights of detained persons.

Among her career highlights, Palesa was named one of the Top 200 young people in South Africa, by the Mail and Guardian and she was awarded the Apolitical Academy Southern Africa Public Service Fellowship, now referred to as Future Elect. Palesa has held various leadership positions including serving as Board Member of Gun Free South Africa.

pmadi[@]cer.org.za